


7.45 am

by TsingaDark



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, First Meetings, Humor, M/M, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-08 04:36:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8830660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TsingaDark/pseuds/TsingaDark
Summary: Dan hates morning classes. The only thing that makes the one on Monday mornings somewhat bearable is the cute guy sitting in front of him.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shamrock_girl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shamrock_girl/gifts).



> A fic I wrote for my bf bc she was sick (we somehow always manage to be ill at the same time)
> 
> Also, unfortunately for everyone, lectures at 7.45 on Mondays are an actual thing. I had one of those. It wasn't nice.

Dan absolutely despises morning classes. He’s pretty sure they were only invented to make students lives as miserable as possible because he can’t comprehend how anyone would like to get up before 8 am. Normally classes don’t start at 8 am sharp, which Dan is very grateful for because those extra fifteen minutes do make a lot of difference, but there’s this one professor that Dan is ninety-nine percent sure was sent from hell to torture innocent students, because he always starts his lectures at 7.45 am. 

Dan isn’t even sure if that’s legal, but despite all the grumbling and complaining from his fellow students, no one is brave enough to ask. He can understand though, the professor fixes anyone with a glare of death who dares to raise a hand during the lecture. 

Dan vividly remembers one time a student had fallen asleep to the monotone voice of the professor, which the professor had magically noticed with his demon senses even though the guy had sat in the last row. Save to say, the person hadn’t been asleep for much longer. Dan isn’t even sure if he’s seen the guy since then but it wouldn’t surprise him if he’d been banned from the lecture.

Fortunately, Dan has never been on the receiving end of wrath from this particular professor even though he normally has a tendency to fuck up spectacularly if he tries not to attract attention. He still feels embarrassed about that one time he was late to a lecture in the very first week and had managed to not only draw everyone’s gaze to him upon entering the lecture hall, but had also tripped on his way to an empty seat and had proceeded to spill his burning hot coffee all over himself. 

Needless to say, every time Dan has to attend the lecture of hell he feels anxious that something is going to go horribly wrong. 

The only beacon of light on those early mornings is the guy that sits in the row in front of him. He doesn’t sit directly in the seat in front of Dan so that Dan is able to see his face instead of staring at the back of his head for the entire ninety minutes lecture. 

The guy has black hair and Dan guesses he must spend ninety-nine percent of his time inside because his skin is very pale to the point of almost being translucent. Oddly enough it suits him though and it brings out his blue eyes even more. Not that Dan gets to see those very often, but one time he’d actually turned around and looked at Dan and Dan hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything else for the rest of the lecture, afraid that the professor would notice and have him murdered.

The point is, this guy is basically Dan’s only motivation to get out of bed at 6 am to attend this lecture. This morning especially Dan has been looking forward to seeing him again since he had a hard time falling asleep the night before and definitely hasn’t had enough sleep to be in a good mood for any kind of university event. 

He shuffles into the lecture hall and into his regular seat with ten minutes to spare, immediately pillowing his head on his arms and closing his eyes. It’s only when more and more people come in - most of them looking like zombies, clutching their coffee cups tightly - that Dan realises something isn’t quite right. Since it’s the morning and his brain isn’t working properly yet, it takes him another few seconds to work out what exactly is wrong, but when he does, it’s like a punch to the gut. 

The room in front of him is filled to the brim - why, Dan can’t quite comprehend - but no matter how concentrated he lets his gaze sweep over the heads in front of him, he isn’t able to spot his guy with the black hair. He’s sitting in the last row so he looks right and left of him too but can’t spot him there either. 

When the professor strides in, the first slide of the power point presentation already thrown onto the wall by his assistant, and the guy still hasn’t arrived, Dan sighs. It’s going to be long ninety minutes. 

*

By the time the week is over, Dan is ready to just lie down somewhere in the snow and freeze to death. At least that would be preferable over the three essays he has to write until Tuesday and the test he has to revise for. Needless to say, by the time the next Monday rolls around, Dan actually considers just taking a train to the middle of nowhere and starting a new life as a hermit. 

It’s a struggle to get out of bed, more than normally, and the only thing he can think of after haphazardly throwing on the first clothes he can find is a cup of strong black coffee. At least that is something that doesn’t form an obstacle as there’s a café right around the corner of his dormitory that opens at 7 am to cater to all the unfortunate students having morning classes. He actually contemplates getting two coffees but then decides against it because that practically screams unfortunate-coffee-accident and instead gets the largest size they have with as many shots of espresso as he thinks he can handle. 

He trudges through the snow, careful to avoid the frozen patches hidden underneath it, and glances up when he sees a sliver of black hair out of the corner of his eye. As it turns out, it’s not the guy from his lecture, but Dan can’t help but think back to the blue eyes that once looked at him and finds that there’s a small smile on his lips at the thought of maybe seeing them today. 

The smile soon falls off his face and is replaced by a frown when he realises that he won’t see his guy again. The lecture hall is continuously getting fuller until there’s no free seat left in front of him.

When the person next to him accidentally rams their elbow into Dan’s stomach while trying to take their jacket off, Dan just grumbles. Despite the coffee, his mood has plummeted to the ground once more and all Dan wants at that moment is to bury himself underneath a plethora of blankets and not come out until next year. 

Time seems to be moving like gum until the lecture is over but at least it gives Dan more than enough opportunities to think about his next step. If he were awake enough to really think about what he was doing, he’d blame it on the lack of sleep, but for now he doesn’t question his actions. 

Since he spends most lectures staring at his guy, he knows who always sits next to him. It’s another guy with brown curly hair that reminds Dan of his own hair when he doesn’t straighten it. And that guy is still sitting in the hall, albeit two rows in front of Dan. 

As soon as the lecture ends, Dan’s out of his seat, clutching his bag and coat to his chest and hurrying over to Curly Hair. 

“Hi,” he says, out of breath, when he’s reached him. 

Curly Hair looks up from stuffing his notes in his backpack. He seems surprised that Dan approached him and Dan can’t really blame him. They’ve never even talked to each other and even in uni it’s kind of weird to be approached by someone so bluntly. 

“Uh, hey,” he answers and it comes out sounding like a question.

For a moment, the two just stare at each other and Dan belatedly realises that he should’ve thought this through properly before approaching Curly Hair.

“Um, so,” Dan says, trying to get his brain to come up with a sentence that doesn’t sound super creepy. “Um, I’ve noticed that the, uh, guy you’re usually with hasn’t been here the last few times, um, y’know, the one with the black hair, and, um,” Dan trails off, not sure where he’s going with this at all. 

Miraculously, Curly Hair seems to sense his awkwardness and understands the words Dan’s mouth won’t produce. “You mean Phil?” 

Dan nods even though he has no idea if they’re talking about the same person. He really hopes they are.

“He’s ill, actually,” Curly Hair then adds, and Dan kind of wants to hit himself in the face. Preferably with a chair.  _ Of course _ that’s the reason for, presumably, Phil's absence. What else did he think it could’ve been?

“Oh,” he just says, not sure where to go from here.

Curly Hair eyes him in a way that makes Dan feel kind of uncomfortable and squirmy and like he’s supposed to do  _ something _ .  

“He lives in the dorms,” Curly Hair says suddenly and there’s a smirk on his lips. “If you want to, y’know, give him your notes from the lecture.”

The only thing that’s missing is Curly Hair wiggling his eyebrows, Dan thinks wryly. 

“Okay,” Dan just replies dumbly, still clutching his bag and coat to his chest, not sure what exactly he’s supposed to do now except to flee this painfully awkward situation.  

“205, to be exact.” Curly Hair grins at him.

“Right,” Dan says and then, because he’s genuinely grateful for Curly Hair sharing this information, adds a quick thank you before turning around and hurrying out of the lecture hall and into the freezing cold.

It’s only when he’s already in his own room that he realises he never put on his coat.

*

Dan can’t believe he’s doing this. He can’t believe he’s actually planning to go to Phil’s room and talk to him. He doesn’t understand why his limbs carry him all the way through the dormitory to the door of room 205, like he doesn’t even have any control over them anymore. 

What if this Phil isn’t the guy he meant? What if Curly Hair was just trolling him and there’s an unsuspecting person on the other side of that door, who has no idea who Dan is?

Well, if he’s being honest with himself, which he’s trying not to, then there’s a great chance that his guy,  _ Phil _ , doesn’t even know who Dan is. After all, they’ve never talked and Dan has only stared at him from behind so it’s not even as if it had been mutual looking.

Shit, Dan’s getting antsy again. His fingers are tapping an undecipherable rhythm on his thighs and he’s just about to turn around again when there’s a person rounding the corner and Dan is forced to do  _ something _ , otherwise it’ll be even more awkward if he just stands there and waits until the other person is gone. In a moment of forced bravery - or maybe stupidity, Dan isn’t sure yet - he quickly raises his hand and knocks on the door. 

He can feel the stare of the person passing him but he doesn’t dare look, instead keeping his gaze firmly on the still closed door. It doesn’t even register at first when it actually opens, he’s so focused by all the different thoughts racing through his mind.

“Uh, hi?” 

Suddenly, he’s pulled back to reality. He blinks and then wishes he hadn’t got out of bed that morning.

Standing in front of him is the guy from his lecture. His black hair is unkempt, as if he’d just got up, and there are dark circles under his eyes. For some reason that Dan doesn’t quite understand, all of that doesn’t make him -  _ Phil _ , Dan has to remind himself, his name’s Phil - unattractive. No, all it does is make him more approachable. And also possibly a bit adorable when he suddenly sneezes.

“Bless you,” Dan says automatically, temporarily able to form words again. 

“Sorry,” Phil says, “you’ve caught me at a bad moment.”

Maybe Dan’s just imagining things but he could swear Phil’s ears are getting red.

“Um, yeah, sorry,” Dan mumbles. “I just-”

He cuts himself off, trying to carefully chose his next words so they won’t scare Phil away. “I, uh, noticed that you weren’t in the lecture today and last week,” he starts. “I was just wondering if you’d like the, uh, notes?”

Even to his own ears his voice sounds too high-pitched and awkward and all Dan wants to do is turn around and run until he can’t breathe anymore - even though he wouldn’t get very far, to be honest.  

“Oh, yeah, I’m sick,” Phil replies and then immediately gets red in the face. “Not that you won’t be able to tell, I mean,” Phil trails off as he gestures to himself. There’s a knitted scarf thrown around his neck and he’s wearing a bright yellow hoodie. Dan isn’t sure but he thinks it’s from Adventure Time. Or is it Gravity Falls? Either way, it oddly suits Phil despite its prominent colour. It’s a stark contrast to Dan’s all-black outfit.

“Uh, yeah,” Dan replies stupidly because he doesn’t really know what else to say to that. He didn’t think he’d actually come this far. 

A moment later Dan realises he’s staring when Phil starts blushing even more, so he quickly averts his gaze. He knows he’ll blurt out something really stupid in a few seconds to break the silence and already wants to facepalm at the awkwardness of the situation. 

“Uh, the notes?” Phil suddenly says, and Dan looks at him again, noticing that there’s still a pink tint to his cheeks. He can’t stop staring at it for some reason. 

The meaning of Phil’s words catch up a second later and now Dan actually has to resist the urge to facepalm. He didn’t even bring the fucking notes. How much more of an idiot can he become?

“I, uh, I forgot them in my room,” Dan says, cringing at his own words. Is it too late to run away?

“Oh.” Phil sounds kind of disappointed but maybe Dan’s just imagining things. He really hopes Phil doesn’t think he’s an idiot. Or at least that he won’t laugh about him once Dan’s gone back to his room in shame. 

Well, let’s be honest, he’ll think Dan weird no matter what he’s going to do now so Dan might as well go all out. If it goes horribly wrong, Dan is sure he’ll be able to avoid Phil for the rest of his time at uni. After all, Phil hadn’t noticed him until now anyway.

“Would you like to go for coffee?” he basically yells at Phil, whose eyes widen. 

“I mean, we could go over the notes then?” Dan adds sheepishly. He really hadn’t meant for it to come out so forcefully. 

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Phil says, taking Dan by surprise. 

“Really?” he asks before he can stop himself. 

“Yeah,” Phil nods, blushing again. 

Dan knows he’s staring but he can’t stop himself. Despite being sick, Phil manages to look adorable, and the way he’s buried his hands in the front pocket of his jumper makes Dan want to engulf him in a soft hug. He can almost feel the comfy material of Phil’s hoodie underneath his fingers and Phil’s warm skin against his as he envisions the embrace. Phil would probably smell nice in spite of probably having worn the same clothes for two days in a row and- 

“I’ll see you then?” Phil asks, jolting Dan out of his daydream.

“Um, yeah.” He can feel his face getting warm. Fuck, he can’t believe he just daydreamed hugging Phil while he’s standing right in front of him. He should be locked up somewhere he won’t be able to have any social interactions with anyone for the rest of eternity. That’d be better for everyone involved.

“I’ll be going then,” Dan says and then salutes before he can think about what he’s doing. He cringes so badly, he thinks he’s probably grimacing, so he quickly turns around and starts walking away. He’s almost at the end of the hallway when he hears Phil call his name. 

He hasn’t even fully turned around yet when Phil’s already reached him. 

“Sorry,” he wheezes. “I, um, I hope I didn’t interpret this wrong, but, uh, the coffee thing, did you mean it as a date?”

Dan immediately freezes. He didn’t particularly intend it as a date, more as a getting-to-know-thing, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t  _ want  _ to go on a date with Phil.  _ Of course _ he does. But what if he says yes and Phil didn’t want him to mean it as a date?

The longer Dan stares at Phil, trying to work out the right thing to say, the more Phil’s face falls. He can tell the exact point Phil decides Dan’s silence is answer enough.

“Oh,” he just says, embarrassment and disappointment evident in his voice. “Let’s just… forget I ever said that, yeah? I’m, I’m going to go back now and-”

Phil doesn’t end the sentence and instead makes to turn around, but Dan quickly grabs his arm. 

“No!” he yells, again louder than probably necessary. “I did mean it as a date.” The words rush out of his mouth before he can change his mind.

“Oh,” Phil breathes, and this time it’s a much happier, definitely surprised sound. He’s smiling tentatively now and Dan can’t help but reciprocate it. 

“Do you want to come by tomorrow afternoon?” Phil asks, still smiling, “I’m sure I’ll feel better by then.”

Dan nods vigorously, hoping that he doesn’t come across as too eager. God, he can’t believe this is actually happening. Is he still daydreaming? Or did he fall asleep during the lecture and is going to be woken up by his awful professor any minute now? Either way, Dan’s definitely going to enjoy this while it lasts. It doesn’t happen every day that someone wants to go on a date with him despite his obvious awkwardness and general inability at life. 

When Phil smiles even more at Dan’s positive answer, a funny feeling takes up residence in Dan’s stomach. Even as they part shortly after, neither quite knowing what else to say, that feeling doesn’t go away. On the contrary, it blooms into a full on swarm of butterflies when Dan thinks back to Phil blushing and smiling as he’s lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. 

The next day can’t come quickly enough and when it does, it turns out that Phil doesn’t actually feel better. If anything, he feels even worse by the time Dan comes round, so they spent the afternoon inside, not actually going through the notes but watching Christmas movies at Phil’s insistence. Dan only grumbles a bit about Phil’s choice of movies but when Phil’s hand suddenly slips into his during an especially romantic scene of Love Actually, he can’t find it in him to complain any further. 

The evening ends with Phil insisting that Dan can’t kiss him -  _ you’ll get sick too! _ \- and Dan still sneaking in a kiss to Phil’s cheek when he isn’t paying attention. It makes Phil blush uncontrollably and Dan swears to himself he’s definitely going to do that more often if it makes Phil react that way. 

The whole time, that feeling in Dan’s stomach is still there, making itself at home. It’s nice really. Like an extension of how he felt every time he looked at Phil during the lectures. It’s his own little Christmas miracle, nevermind that Dan neither believes in miracles nor that this actually would be one if he did. No, this is something that Dan made happen. Well, or rather Curly Hair if he’s being technical since he gave Dan Phil’s room number. 

It makes him think back to the reason they met in the first place and suddenly he’s quite glad he’s forced to attend that horrible lecture at 7.45 in the morning, because otherwise him and Phil probably wouldn’t have met and he’d never had had the courage to actually talk to Phil. 

Maybe early morning classes aren’t that horrible after all. 


End file.
